New ways to book last-minute trips

Apps make it easier to take a spontaneous vacation

Whisking your honey away this weekend for a spontaneous road trip just got easier, thanks to apps that cater to last-minute travelers. But even with the help of technology, scrambling to plan a getaway still has its drawbacks.

More companies are looking to capitalize on the market for last-minute booking. This week, Groupon announced that it would purchase Spain-based Blink, a last-minute hotel booking app. Blink partners with more than 2,000 hotels in Europe to offer same-night room deals. This comes amid news that competing San Francisco-based app HotelTonight — which offers night-of room deals in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and, as of this year, Europe — got a new round of funding (this time $45 million) last week. These apps join others — like Kayak and Hotels.com — which though not exclusively devoted to last-minute travelers do have offerings that cater to this niche.

Angela Waye / Shutterstock.com

For travel companies and app makers, the move toward last-minute booking services makes sense. For one, more consumers than ever are using smartphones and tablets: 56% of Americans had a smartphone as of May 2013, up from 35% in May 2011. And 79% of 18- to 24-year-olds have one — a demographic that’s often available for last-minute trips — according to the Pew Research Center. And while “people who plan travel in advance tend to use the computer, mobile is for people on the go — they will get last-minute rates and fares through the apps,” says Boston-based travel consultant Melanie Nayer. In fact, a study by travel-booking site Expedia found that nearly 70% of people booking rooms through the company’s mobile app or mobile-optimized site were looking for travel options within the next day or so. Travelers also carry these smartphones and tablets with them, so they can use last-minute features — like current GPS-enabled local deals on hotels and tourist attractions — once they reach their destination.

That said, waiting until the last minute to book flights, hotels and activities for a trip can often end up costing far more than planning ahead. “The ideal time to book airline tickets is usually two weeks or more out to save money,” Nayer says. Plus, by waiting until the last minute, you may not get a room, flight, dinner reservations or tickets to events at all, especially if it’s a holiday or there’s a big event in town, says Erin Gifford, the founder of travel site Kidventurous.com. And booking through apps isn’t always foolproof. “I tell people to call the hotel or company just to make sure the booking has gone through,” says Nayer.

Still, a last-minute trip can offer a dose of spontaneity and fun, so here are some expert-recommended free apps that cater to travelers who don’t like to have to plan in advance.

Accommodations

Hotels in particular are easy to book last-minute using apps. Advertising consultant Parker Condit, who says he has traveled about 125,000 miles over the past two years, says HotelTonight is his pick for last-minute hotel bookings. “You can find better deals if you want to spend the time, but for a last-minute room, this is my go-to app,” he says. At noon each day, the app releases hotel deals for cities for that night; the app makes it easy to scroll through hotels and book, and the hotels are rated with a usable system that includes luxe, hip and basic. The biggest downside is that the selection of hotels tends to be fairly small.

Travelers also have the option of last-minute booking through apps like Hotels.com, which has a “local deals for tonight” offering, and Kayak, which has a “Find a deal for tonight” feature and is the top-ranked travel-booking app, according to Applause, which scores mobile apps by analyzing millions of user reviews. If you’re on a budget, the new WeHostels app, which lists 40,000 hostels, budget hotels and B&Bs around the world, has a “here and now” feature that uses GPS to find accommodations in your area that you can book the same night.

Transportation

As with hotels, it’s easy to book taxis, car services and rental cars via smartphone at the last minute. For those taking taxis or cars, Condit recommends Uber, which lets users request near-instant car service in dozens of cities using their phone; however, note that this isn’t always the cheapest option for transportation. For last-minute car rentals, Kayak, which has a “Need wheels today? Find a car near me” feature, is easy to use, and if you’re renting a car from the airport, consider the GateGuru app, which helps travelers navigate airport logistics, as it recently partnered with Avis to let users get last-minute car rentals at the airport from a smartphone.

If you’re driving to your destination but didn’t have time to plan out your route, Gifford recommends CoPilot, a navigation app that doesn’t require a mobile connection because the street maps are stored on the device. “It’s great if you lose cell service; you can still get where you want,” she says. Gifford also likes the GPS-enabled, easy-to-use RoadAhead, which lets users click on types of business and conveniences like gas stations, restaurants, parks, rest areas, police stations and more, and shows which are at the exits up ahead.

Flights

Deals on last-minute flights are often hard to come by, and there aren’t a ton of apps that cater specifically to last-minute flights. Though it isn’t a last-minute flight app per se, HipMunk is Condit’s pick for last-minute flight bookings because of how easy it is to use on a mobile phone. The app compares flights from major carriers using an easy-to-scroll graph arranged by departure time and price. The app LMT, which stands for Last Minute Travel, is also easy to use for last-minute flights, some experts say. Skyscanner lets you search flights from your home airport to anywhere, so last-minute travelers can base their trips on the destination offering the most affordable option. But perhaps the best way to find out about last-minute deals on flights is to download the Twitter app and begin following the major carriers (JetBlue tweets last-minute deals on Tuesdays at @JetBlueCheeps, for example), as well as AirfareWatchdog (@AirfareWatchdog), which covers airfare deals from all the major airlines.

Finally, consumers may want to book through the apps offered by the airlines themselves, says Nayer. This is especially true for those who have points or miles, she says, because last-minute flights tend to be pricey. Plus, the airlines may send push notifications of deals: “JetBlue & Virgin do a great job with last-minute fares,” says Nayer.

Local Attractions & Deals

Once you’re at your destination, there are dozens of GPS-enabled apps that scour for local deals on everything from restaurants to activities, as well as offer up suggestions for fun, nearby attractions. Gifford says one of her favorite’s is Field Trip by Google, which notifies users when something nearby is interesting (you can tell it your interests like architecture, historic places, food, art and museums). Experts also liked travel deal aggregator site Travelzoo’s app, which pulls together a variety of local deals on everything from spas to restaurants to water sports.

Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use.
Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. Intraday data
delayed per exchange requirements. S&P/Dow Jones Indices (SM) from Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
All quotes are in local exchange time. Real time last sale data provided by NASDAQ. More
information on NASDAQ traded symbols and their current financial status. Intraday
data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges. S&P/Dow Jones Indices (SM)
from Dow Jones & Company, Inc. SEHK intraday data is provided by SIX Financial Information and is
at least 60-minutes delayed. All quotes are in local exchange time.